Even though Benjamin Franklin was specifically talking about fire safety when he said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” … the wisdom of the age-old adage applies to all areas of life.
Just ask Andrew Tennison, emergency room tech at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Mckinney . He knows that by taking small steps for his health now, it helps prevent bigger problems later. Because he works nights (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) three days a week, the unusual sleep schedule makes it more challenging to stay on top of his physical activity and eating choices.
“Making sure I work out before going to work keeps me consistent,” Andrew says. “I have everything prepped and packed and ready to go beforehand. Then I can shower and go straight to work.”
He also finds that the exercise—whether it’s a basketball game with friends or weight-lifting—benefits his workload, too. “Interacting with patients means moving, pulling, lifting. Keeping my body in shape means I can better help others,” he says. “Plus, it gives me more energy to stay alert throughout the night.”
In addition to the risk of tiredness during the night shift, Andrew also guards against another nighttime foe: eating junk food. As our bodies get tired, they can crave more sugar and carbs. Added to that, it is usually only fast-food places that stay open all hours.
“For people who work nights, you have to meal prep. There is no other way,” he advises. “You may want to eat healthy in your heart-of-hearts, but without prior preparation you will be only left with all of the bad options like burger and pizza."
Planning ahead also helped him this past March when he had some dental work pop up. He was having some tooth pain and fretted about the unexpected medical expense. But then his wife reminded him that he had money in his Health Savings Account (HSA), which he hadn’t really needed to use before.
“Even though I was only putting in a small amount each paycheck, it added up over time,” he says. “It is the best thing ever … it saved me a lot of headache and stress!”
Plan ahead for your own life expenses! Sign up for one of our spending accounts – Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Savings Account (HSA) or Dependent Care FSA – this enrollment. Find more details on the Health > Spending and Savings Accounts page.